Ben's Domestic Breakthroughs

Ah the Bee. Luscious and rich. Yet it retains verve and clarity. How does that happen? Figure it out, and you have the key to great Chardonnay and wineries around the world will be knocking on your door. Interesting to no... more

Ah the Bee. Luscious and rich. Yet it retains verve and clarity. How does that happen? Figure it out, and you have the key to great Chardonnay and wineries around the world will be knocking on your door. Interesting to note is these are the youngest vines (20 years old now), and each successive vintage seems to pick up more minerality. Combine this with the trademark honey and richness, and you have quite the multilayered wine. A strong argument for the increasing complexity that comes with older vines. From vines in the lowest plot with Home budwood on root-stock.

In many vintages this is a little more linear than the other two, and it is always a fascinating wine that somehow straddles the imaginary line between California Chardonnay and Chablis. Clean, minty, and mineral, yet als... more

In many vintages this is a little more linear than the other two, and it is always a fascinating wine that somehow straddles the imaginary line between California Chardonnay and Chablis. Clean, minty, and mineral, yet also rich and with lots of palate persistence. This wine was showing very well when I tasted it. This is from a bowl shaped slope planted to ungrafted vines. It sits at a middle elevation relative to the other two.

The shy subtlety of last year is replaced with more amplitude and denser fruit. There’s all sorts of clove and anise, making this a wine to stick with for as long as you can. I used to always ooh and ah over the Hirsch vi... more

The shy subtlety of last year is replaced with more amplitude and denser fruit. There’s all sorts of clove and anise, making this a wine to stick with for as long as you can. I used to always ooh and ah over the Hirsch vineyard wines, but this is bringing more value while keeping with the high quality that you would expect from a well situated/farmed Sonoma Coast vineyard.

These guys are making their name with Pinot Noir, but they always try to make a wine that their “friends can afford to drink.” This Syrah was born of this goal, and after last year, I’d say they have a lot more friends. T... more

These guys are making their name with Pinot Noir, but they always try to make a wine that their “friends can afford to drink.” This Syrah was born of this goal, and after last year, I’d say they have a lot more friends. This wine wasn’t around long last year, so only a few of you got to try it before you came back and bought us out of it, so the rest of you couldn't try it. It is all the things you love about California without anything you don’t. The nose is beautifully minty and meaty, and this carries into the creamy palate. As California wine goes, it remains one of the best deals going.

This is basically Demuth with a little Abbey Harris. This was the first wine they poured, and it jumped out immediately with the aromatics. Snappy and vigorous and with these black tea back notes that seem be an aromatic ... more

This is basically Demuth with a little Abbey Harris. This was the first wine they poured, and it jumped out immediately with the aromatics. Snappy and vigorous and with these black tea back notes that seem be an aromatic calling card for these wines. The palate is spicy and well fruited, and it’s already showing well, though this wine will really start to sing after a few more months in bottle.